Q What do you do to owners who are in arrears? This question highlights many of the issues facing associations when a delinquency continues for significant period of time. It is a particularly frustrating experience to have an owner in re…
After this winter, a concrete walkway in our condo property was completely ruined. Several unit owners contend the property manager used rock salt instead of the usual calcium chloride. If we can establish that rock salt was indeed used as …
Q I am the president of a condominium association, and we are very certain that a tenant is maliciously running up the water bills. The problem is that we don’t have definitive proof. Our water bills have gone up from about $2,000 a quart…
Q In 2008, the board of trustees of my building took out a loan to fix the roof after a hurricane. It is my understanding that it was a 5-year loan with a balloon and they had to refinance it in 2013 and the loan now is extended to 2017. …
Q I’m currently trying to get information on or determine what specifically a board cannot assess owners for. Our bylaws are extremely clear on what we can assess for—largely major improvements for the building. However, what can’t or sho…
Q Last year I became disabled and applied to the board for approval for a companion dog. Upon approval, I signed an agreement that restricted the dog from certain areas and reiterated the dog could not be a nuisance to neighbors. I instal…
Where There’s Smoke … There’s Fire? Q I live above a daily cigar smoker, and particularly in the warmer months I like to leave my windows and balcony door open. I’ve complained several times to the board and management that the smok…
I own a unit and live in a medium-sized condominium in the Boston area. Recently, a few strangers have been found lurking the hallways of the building. One of my neighbors who lives across the hall from me is very nervous about the possibil…
Q I recently bought a new unit in an HOA. I set up a fence in my backyard that management and the board says is too high, but the original developer’s original fences are as tall as the ones I installed. Most of the units still have this …
I am the vice president of a small condo community and we are trying to find out if non-homeowners can serve on the board. Several of the homeowners would like renters to have a proxy vote. However, being a proxy and voting for an absent ow…